About The Book

What could be more exciting than a computer-savvy, modern-day boy suddenly finding himself on a pirate ship, sailing the Caribbean, and fighting off villainous murderers in 1692? And what could be more frightening to him than finding out that this fantasy is no dream; it’s real, with real cutthroats on a ship where he sweats, slaves, fears for his life, and feels real pain? Such is the make-up of BlackHeart’s Legacy by Sally Copus, the first book in The Odyssey of Jon Sinclair series. Readers pre-teen to mid-teen will be enthralled, fascinated, and entertained in this page-turner of a story.

Jon Sinclair and his grandmother are transported in their time-travel ship to Port Royal, Jamaica, where they are separated from each other as well as their time-travel ship. Realizing that Jon has been kidnapped and taken captive aboard Captain BlackHeart’s ship, the Black Opal, his grandmother is frantic. In her desperate search for him, she disguises herself as a male galley cook aboard a rival pirate ship; one whose captain is bent on one thing: the annihilation of BlackHeart and his crew, in whatever part of the sea they may hide. Aboard the Black Opal, Jon is somehow surviving as a cabin boy, learning strict discipline on a ship of dangerous, errant men amid hurricanes, pirate battles, and the intrigues of diving for treasure.

When the time-capsule arrives back in modern-day Missouri, without Jon and his grandmother, his grandfather probes the onboard computer to find where in time their time-capsule has abandoned them. To his dismay, he realizes that they are in the Port Royal area, just prior to the earthquake and tidal wave that will destroy the pirate bastion forever. In order to track them, he manages to board a Chinese junk with the nefarious, BlackHeart-hunting Chum Lee at the helm. Will Jon and his grandmother survive the earthquake that drops Port Royal into the sea and the sixty-foot tidal wave that follows?

What happens next will keep readers mesmerized and turning pages with breath held and heart pounding. A compelling mixture of fantasy and history with a touch of sci-fi, this novel is a must-read!